After the Episode: Stacy Forgets Her Name
by Shining Time Station
Summary: Schemer's trickery has gone too far this time. Stacy and Billy help him realize that even friends have limits.


After the Episode: Stacy Forgets Her Name

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Shining Time Station.

Authoress's Note: This is the first non-special episode I wrote a story for. I'll likely write them out of order from here on out. They can be read in whatever order you desire but there may be resolution from older episodes in newer episodes so just take that with a grain of salt! Enjoy, and as always please leave a review :)

* * *

Stacy was behind her desk when Schemer finally reappeared in the Station after his exaggerated disappearance. He had been caught in his ruse and knew it. She watched him through narrowed eyes and he approached the desk cautiously. At least he had the sense to look wary, but she was in no mood to see him whatsoever. He stopped short of the desk and she felt anger rise from within her as his usual bravado resurfaced.

"Look Jonesy, why don't we just shake on it and put it all behind us?" He leaned in on one arm and had one hand hanging midair.

She said nothing, and observed him silently with a sharp gaze. He withered slightly under her examining glare. In that moment she couldn't see any of the qualities that she valued in him as a friend. She couldn't even remind herself why she remained friends with him all these years. All he looked like to her was a sleazy villain, a snake oil salesman who cared about nothing but making a dollar, no matter who he hurt in the process.

"No."

"That's a girl-... Wait, what?" He did a double take.

"I said NO!" She slapped his hand away. It wasn't hard but he withdraw it as if he had been stung. But she wasn't finished yet.

"I thought we were done with all this Schemer! I thought all this silly nonsense about taking over the Station had finally finished!" She came around the front of her desk and stood in front of him, talking directly into his face, angrier than he had ever seen her.

"C-come on Stacy, it was just a... joke?" He said lamely, trying to come up with some excuse for his wretched behavior.

Her eyes flashed. "Don't call me Stacy, it's Ms. Jones to you."

He looked like he had just been slapped across the face. She almost felt bad when his entire face fell. Almost, but not quite. She was too hurt over what he had done to care how he felt.

"Do you even know what you did wrong? Do you even know why I'm upset Schemer?" She pleaded with frustration, hoping he could at least understand her point of view.

She was rewarded with silence and a deep disappointment filled her. "I thought we were friends, I guess I was wrong. A friend wouldn't take advantage of someone in that state. If my friendship is less valuable than stealing the Station for yourself than I have nothing left to offer you. You let me down Schemer, and I can't let this one go. All the other silly stunts you've pulled pale in comparison to this."

She felt her throat grow tight and turned away. Looking at him just made her tear up, his gaze had lowered to the floor and he looked miserable. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I screwed up." He admitted sadly. His voice shook slightly. She strengthened her resolve, she didn't want to hear anymore. She didn't want him to say anything to change her mind, not now. She had a right to be angry, and she had no desire to listen to him until she was ready.

"Go, please just go." She said, keeping her voice steady. She turned to face him once more.

She met his gaze, and found it contained nothing but regret. However, he nodded, reverted his gaze to the floor once more. "Alright." He said and left with his hands in his pockets and his posture slouched.

* * *

Stacy sat in one of Billy's armchairs, sobbing into her hands. He stood behind her with his hands on her shoulders.

"I'm sorry." She choked out, wiping her eyes in vain. The tears weren't letting up.

"Don't be." He handed her a box of tissues. "You have every right to be upset."

"I just... I just feel so betrayed!" She collapsed in renewed sobs once more. Billy moved around to sit in an armchair opposite to her.

"I know," he said soothingly, "No one has any right to tell you how to feel. How was he after he met you at the Station?"

"I don't know... He's hard to read sometimes. I can't tell if he feels bad just because I was angry at him or because he has genuine regret." Her expression changed to one of anger. "I wish he had some sort of moral compass, instead of that black hole of a heart!"

"That's not fair and you know it." Billy pointed out kindly. "Like I said, nobody has any right to tell you how to feel, but it's also his business how he feels. I don't agree with what he did, not one bit. And if I were there I would have put a stop to it in a second. But we also have to realize that sometimes he gets carried away in his plans. It doesn't make it right but as long as you're friends with someone you have to take the good with the bad."

She quieted down, occasionally hiccuping. They lapsed into a silence.

She finally broke the silence with a confession. "I don't know if I can be his friend again." She admitted guiltily.

Billy just 'hmm'-ed aloud, letting her continue.

"I just can't trust him after this. I can't see anything going back to normal." She looked sad as the words left her mouth.

"If you don't feel like someone is worthy of your trust than you don't have to give it to them. This will change things, but it's your decision and it's his own fault. I'm not picking sides in a conflict, but I will support your decision because you're one of my closest friends." He said gently.

She gave a sad smile. "Thanks Billy, I appreciate that. I hope this doesn't make things uncomfortable at the Station now. You're still friends with him after all, I don't want to disturb that friendship."

"I'm still close friends with him, but as long as you two are civil I'm sure the Station will run smoothly. It's my hope that things will change in time, but I respect whatever decision that you make. I hope one day that the three of us can spend time as friends once more, but you can make that decision when you're ready."

She nodded slowly. "I'm sorry to have unloaded my problems on you like this. I should be heading home now." She stood up and gave him a hug.

"Anytime Stacy. Let me know if you need to talk at any point." He saw her to the door and watched her drive away. Her story was troubling but he was curious about what was going through Schemer's mind right now, and when the event was occurring. He reached for his phone and dialed his other friend's number.

"Hi Schemee, is your Uncle there? No, where and when did he leave? Okay, I know where he might be, thanks."

* * *

Billy drove his truck through the overgrown backroads, knowing that this was the driving haunt of Schemer. Or where he went to escape the world. Sure enough, he found the familiar old, black cadillac parked at the end of a barely used dirt road, one long out of commission by the old farmer that used to own the surrounding lands. He turned the engine off but left the lights on to avoid spooking Schemer anymore than he already had, as it was after dark at this point.

"Schemer?" He asked aloud, noticing that the driver's door was ajar. One leg was lazily dangling out of the door.

Billy approached to see Schemer lying back with the seat reclined into a laying down position. His hands were clasped and resting on his lower stomach, and he exhaled slowly and opened his eyes when Billy stood beside the open door.

"I'm guessing you were looking for me?" He asked cautiously. He didn't want to lose two friends in one day.

"Come sit on the tailgate with me, we can talk man to man." He offered gently.

Schemer closed his eyes but nodded slowly and got to his feet. Once they were sitting side by side Schemer sighed heavily.

"I know why you're here." He admitted.

"Yeah I figured you might. I'm not here to scold you or anything though, it's not my business. I just want to know how you're feeling and maybe get your thoughts on everything." Billy explained.

Schemer turned his head away from him. "I don't know where to start."

"Maybe start with 'why'." Billy suggested.

Schemer looked up at the night sky, feeling small all of the sudden. "Because I wanted to see how far I could go with it." When Billy stayed silent he continued. "I know how bad that sounds, I do. But it's the truth. Why would someone just lose their memory like that? Was she just pulling my leg? It didn't and still doesn't make sense!"

"Schemer, but what I don't understand is why that was your reaction though. If someone has memory loss taking them to the hospital might be a good start. And Stacy wouldn't joke around like that." Billy pointed out.

"I know, I know... I didn't say that it was a good decision, or that I don't regret it. I just wasn't thinking of the consequences of anything. And once the ball was rolling, the temptation was so appealing. I felt I had to keep going with it."

Billy clapped him on the shoulder. "Are you okay?"

Schemer gave a humourless smile. "Not really, these consequences make it hard to handle. I didn't mean to hurt her. I know that I did though, and that I can't take it back. She has every right to hate me."

"She doesn't hate you, and you're right, you can't take it back. But if you show enough sincerity, in time she might give you back her trust." Billy explained.

Schemer shook his head. "She'll never forgive me."

"At the very least she will forgive you, she is a very kind and forgiving person. Give her some space for now and she will forgive you if you take the right approach."

"I don't know if I can face her again."

"You work in the same place, you have to face each other again. Just be civil, and kind. Do you have any intention of approaching her again?" Billy asked.

"I really want her to know how sorry I am. How it was a terrible thing to do and how I couldn't even apologize properly the first time." He said bitterly.

"Then speak from your heart, you'll know when the right moment to talk to her is. For now, just let things play out as normal. Are you ready to head home? I think Schemee was wondering about where you were."

Schemer hopped off the tailgate. "Thanks Billy, I needed to be talked down. I wish you had been there to talk sense into me at the time, but that's my own fault for not thinking things through."

"No problem Schemer, I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

The work day went fairly awkwardly for Schemer and Stacy. Billy spoke to each of them as he normally did but Schemer's interactions with Stacy only involved nervous stolen glances in her direction. She occasionally caught his eye and he would nervously look away. But he didn't miss the sad look in her eye each time he let go of her gaze. He knew he had to talk to her today. He felt that the sooner he got it all off his chest, the easier their time together would be. Like Billy said, Schemer didn't expect her to want to be his friend again, but he wanted her to know that he was sorry. He wanted her to be happy again, and he truly regretted what he did. He waited until the Station closed for the day and Billy was outside, he wanted make sure that the two of them could be alone. He gathered his courage and approached her desk, though with less swagger than the previous day for his first "apology".

She looked up as he came close and he almost lost his resolve, but it was now or never. She didn't say anything, but looked at him with curiosity unlike the hostility she had shown yesterday.

He took a deep breath. "I know you probably don't want to see me here right now, or have to see me everyday at the other side of the Station. But I have to tell you something, and I can't wait any longer. Yesterday? I really messed up. And not just once, I just kept messing up. There wasn't an end to how much I screwed up yesterday. Nothing I did yesterday did anything except become a huge disaster. And I know it's all my fault, I know that I got out of hand and my own selfishness clouded all my judgment. I wish I could take it all back, but I can't. I can't do anything except tell you what I lost was so much more valuable than anything I stood to gain." He admitted, pouring his heart into the apology and speaking truthfully.

She stared at him in shock, not expecting such a meaningful monologue.

"I guess the only thing I can do is tell you how sorry I am, and how much it's tearing me apart." He finished. "I'm sorry."

She blinked back tears and he felt a stab at his heart once more, he didn't want to make her more upset than he already had. That was the opposite of his plan.

"Thank you." She said simply and he was pleasantly surprised by her gentle tone. "I appreciate that."

She didn't make any further moves towards him and he nodded lightly. "Thanks." He turned to leave, feeling like he better give her some privacy and to avoid upsetting her further.

"Schemer?" She called at his retreating back.

He turned back sadly, "Yes Ms. Jones?"

"I forgive you. We have a lot to talk about later, but not right now, I'm not ready for that yet. But right now, I forgive you." She looked at him with much calmer eyes than he had seen in awhile.

He didn't say anything for a minute, taking it all in. He suddenly felt awkward, "I should go, I'll see you tomorrow at work. I hope... I hope you have a good night." He offered, it was like starting all over with a semi-stranger.

"Thank you, I think I will." She gave him a small smile which he weakly reciprocated. After he left she sat thinking at her desk for awhile. It was much better than she had expected of him, but they still had a long way to go.


End file.
